


We Thought You Knew

by SoapDiSpencer



Series: Secrets Not Meant to be Kept [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Captain Yamaguchi Tadashi, Cute Yamaguchi Tadashi, F/M, Fluff, Hinata Shouyou & Tsukishima Kei Friendship, Hinata Shouyou & Yachi Hitoka Friendship, Hinata Shouyou & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, M/M, Oblivious Hinata Shouyou, Oblivious Team, Oblivious Yamaguchi Tadashi, Third Year Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio, Third Year Tsukishima Kei, Third Year Yachi Hitoka, Third Year Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:14:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26182480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoapDiSpencer/pseuds/SoapDiSpencer
Summary: Yamaguchi, Hinata, and Yachi are determined to get Tsukishima and Kageyama together before the end of their third year, but little do they know that they have been together since their first year and just assume that the team already knew.This fic is more a collection of scenes on how Tsukishima and Kageyama show each other love. It mostly just some fluff with very little actual plot.Part 1 of 2
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: Secrets Not Meant to be Kept [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915354
Comments: 28
Kudos: 448





	1. The Plan is Cracked

Tsukki noticed it first. He noticed the way that Yamaguchi was determined to get him to study with the rest of the team although he knew the only one who needed the help was Kageyama and they already spent several afternoons a week working on it. He never claimed to know why his best friend did the things he did. He just went along with it and enjoyed the extra afternoon spent with his boyfriend of almost two years now. Kageyama and he were not exactly an affectionate couple in public. Most of their time in public was flirting which was easily masked by how much it looked like they were arguing. Kageyama got that flush that Tsukki loved so much and Kei has never been more in love with his dumbass setter. 

“Tsukki! You are scaring the first-years!” Yamaguchi’s voice floated over to where Kageyama had started bickering with him about not jumping high enough. 

“It was my fault! The toss was too high! Just take the damn apology, you ass!” Kageyama barked at him, his cheeks flushed. Tsukki knew better than to push Kageyama like this. He knew how Tobio got when he riled him up at practice. He was almost looking forward to how feral he would be the second they were alone again.

“I didn’t jump high enough! I am not accepting an apology when it is my fault!” he snapped back. Yachi looked done with their arguing having gotten used to it during their first year. Yamaguchi was trying to keep the new first-years calm since they weren’t used to them bickering. 

Tobio had a soft look in his eye as they bickered and when they finally had to pull away to finish practice Kei’s heart fluttered at Tobio fussing over the tape on his fingers making sure that it was protecting him well. He didn’t know how his idiot boyfriend was able to annoy the hell out of him one second and completely melt him the next. 

He noticed that Yamaguchi and Hinata were planning something with Yachi, but he soon forgot because Tobio had decided to shoot him a small barely-there smile as they started to pack up to head home. Kageyama still often stayed late with Hinata, but they both reserved weekends for them and not the team. He refused to compete with the shrimp for his boyfriend’s attention. 

Kageyama didn't slip his hand into Kei's for a light squeeze until they were near to Kei's house. It wasn't that they were hiding their relationship. Neither Kageyama nor Tsukishima liked public displays of affection. They rarely even held hands in public, but that was mostly because Tsukishima claimed that Kageyama had sweaty hands, and Kageyama claimed that Tsukishima was uncomfortable to hold hands with. They bickered about it constantly but had taken to crossing their ankles together when they sat down instead. They still bickered constantly, but they wouldn’t be them without that. Tsukishima loved the way Tobio’s eyes lit up when they fought over what movies to watch or what music to listen to. He liked watching the flush on Tobio’s cheeks when he needled him about being the King. He knew that he had started to view that name differently after he started calling him King when they were curled up together discussing their dreams. Tsukishima loved the way that Tobio listened to him when he went on and on about recent discoveries in paleontology even though he knew that Tobio only cared because Tsukishima liked it. Even their study sessions had changed. Tsukishima found that Kageyama was very good at math and physics. It was his English and Literature classes that he couldn’t grasp. Tsukishima sometimes still flushed at the time he spent talking to Kageyama in English and being soft before realizing that Kageyama was starting to pick up the language more. Kageyama was a genius if you managed to hold his attention. 

Kei shook his head to try and shake the sappy thoughts out of his head. He could feel Tobio’s gaze on him and he couldn’t help the flush slowly creeping onto his cheeks. “I am going to kiss you if you don’t stop looking at me like that,” he said with a glance over at the intense blue eyes of his boyfriend. 

“You act like that is a punishment,” Tobio said back with a light scoff. Kei scrunched up his nose at how much they had started to sound like each other after so long of being together. He knew that Yamaguchi would never let him live it down if he knew how sappy he was for their setter. Kei stayed silent not wanting to dignify that with a response when he knew it was just Tobio trying to make him blush.

“Yamayama!” Kei sighed as Akiteru called out to Tobio no doubt to ask him to practice with him a little in the backyard so that Kei would be forced to join as well. Tobio looked over at Kei with soft pleading eyes and Kei decided that he never should have introduced his brother to his setter. Kei rolled his eyes as he gestured for Kageyama to follow Akiteru to the backyard. He followed getting in position to toss the ball for Kageyama to set. He pointedly ignored the teasing looks Akiteru always gave him when he did this for Tobio. They both usually teased him about ‘going soft’. Kei pointedly gave Tobio a hickey on his chest later that night as payback. He knew that it would force Kageyama to think about it so that it wasn’t seen by the rest of the team. 

That night after dinner Akiteru could hear Kei yelling at Kageyama for putting his ‘ice hands’ on his back. He couldn’t help the small smile at the fact that Kei had found someone who got him out of his shell a bit more even if it was only in the privacy of their room. He hadn’t heard Kei laugh like this with anyone except Yamaguchi. He shot off a quick text to Kei for them to keep it PG- 13 and laughed when he heard the disgruntled sound that Kei made when he read it. “Go away, weirdo!” his voice carried through the door.


	2. Clinging to Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Outside the little bubble that Kageyama and Tsukishima have, the team tries to get them to admit to their feelings for each other before they graduate. Inside the bubble, anxiety for their relationship after high school starts to weigh on the couple.

The next time it was brought to their attention that the other third years were up to something was when they were all hanging out after practice at Coach Ukai’s store. Tsukishima was standing next to Kageyama while Yachi, Hinata, and Yamaguchi walk ahead of them talking excitedly. Kageyama shot him a smile every time their shoulders brushed together as they walked. 

“What about you, Tsukishima? What are you planning on doing after graduation?” Yachi asked from her place between Yamaguchi and Hinata. Tsukishima had to look up from his phone where he had been changing the song he had been listening to. 

“I am going to university. I want to study paleontology,” he said easily. He had known what he wanted to do for so long. He knew that volleyball was Kageyama’s life, but it wasn’t his. He loved it. He loved to play it. He could admit that now, but it still wasn’t his passion. Kageyama and he had already talked about how they were going to handle their relationship after graduation. Tsukishima had to admit that the fact that Kageyama was already scouted made a feeling of pride bloom in his chest. His boyfriend was a genius on the court even if he would bite off his hand before saying that in front of the team. 

He barely noticed when a frown tugged at the other’s face. He was more focused on the soft look that Tobio had tossed him at his declaration. He had thought it would be harder to date someone who didn’t share his interests, but Tobio always listened so interestedly and patient when he talked. At least Tobio with his gardening and volleyball he knew something to share his interests with him, but Tobio knew nothing about paleontology before Kei started to babble about it a couple of months into their relationship.

“I didn’t know you liked dinosaurs, Tsukki!” Hinata finally chirped up. Kageyama glanced over to him. 

“That’s only because you don’t pay attention. Everyone else noticed. The first years call him Saltasaurus when he isn’t around.” Tobio said with a smirk. Kei took back what he thought about Tobio being perfect. He was going to strangle his boyfriend later for bringing up his nickname from the first years. Yamaguchi snickered at Kei’s face who only glared harder. 

“You said you wouldn’t bring that up!” Kei accused his cheeks flushing pink. He knew it was an affectionate name, but it still embarrassed him. Tobio still smirked at him and Kei had to resist the urge to wipe it off his face with a kiss.

“How did you find out if they don’t say it to your face?” Yachi curiously asked her head tilting up to look at him. Kei had to fight the smile blooming on his face. He remembered the kiss that Tobio has been pressing into his skin when they heard the first-years passing by their hiding place. He remembered the feeling of Tobio rubbing soft circles into his back as they just soaked up the closeness. He also remembered how hard it was to listen to what the first-years had been saying, but they had caught that part. Tobio still teased him about it to this day.

“We were getting dressed after a practice match and the first-years didn’t know we were there. They had been talking about how ‘cool’ saltasaurus’ block was.” Tobio said with a proud look. Kei elbowed him in the stomach. 

“You are insufferable. I hope you choke on your food.” Kei teased Tobio who laughed. Tobio’s eyes lingered on Kei's eyes with an unreadable expression. Kei knew what he was thinking. Kei knew the ‘I love you’ in every empty threat and snarky reply. He remembered what horrible words had been thrown before their first kiss. He remembered Tobio’s cheeks flushed pink. He remembered the way that Tobio’s breath had puffed against his cheek as he panted. He remembered the way that Tobio’s voice had sounded when he had whispered that Kei was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Kei remembered the burn of his own flush. He remembered the feeling of Tobio reverently tracing his fingers over Kei’s face. He remembered the soft way that Tobio had asked if he could kiss him. He remembered the first painfully awkward kiss where they bumped noses and had to let out breathy apologies while they got used to the feeling. Kei remembered falling in love with Tobio over the next few months. 

“Shut up, Saltasaurus.” Tobio shot back and Kei had to fight the smile threatening to creep upon his face. He couldn’t stand how Tobio managed to keep a straight face from calling him that. It was a long-held joke between them. It was right when Yamaguchi had started on as captain. For every time Tsukishima had said shut up to Yamaguchi he was sure that the captain had shot back in return. Tobio had said that every shut up that Yamaguchi shot him sounded like an affectionate term. Kei had turned beet red at his words because he knew that every time he had told Yamaguchi to shut up it had been affectionate. 

They kept walking until the group had to split and go their separate ways. It was then that suddenly Hinata froze. "Are you going home with Kageyama?" He suddenly asked Kei as if they hadn't been spending time together constantly. Kei had to admit that he liked having Tobio around. He liked to just hold him sometimes while they both watched videos on their phone. His mother had come to assume that he would go to Tobio's house a couple of times a week. 

"He always goes home with me on Wednesdays, dumbass," Tobio spoke up and Kei snorted. Yamaguchi looked up in surprise. He knew that Kageyama went over to Kei's a lot, but he wasn't aware that Kei went home with Kageyama so often. 

"Oh! That's why you stopped coming to tutoring with Yachi. Tsukki is tutoring you!" Hinata said as if he had solved a huge mystery. Kei rolled his eyes as Kageyama nodded. He never understood why everyone always got so surprised that they spent time together. They had been dating for over a year now and still every time they hung out together Yamaguchi or Hinata would point it out. 

They finally said their goodbyes while Yamaguchi flirted openly with Yachi. They had started dating halfway through the second year and had been disgustingly cute ever since. Kei still let a small fond smile slip on his face for a second thinking about how happy his best friend was. 

"You're being soft over Yamaguchi again. I feel like I should be jealous." Tobio teased Kei easily as they walked so close their shoulders and fingers brushed every so often. 

"Don't act like you don't get soft when you see them. I remember quite clearly you sitting with Yachi while she talked about Yamaguchi for nearly an hour with that stupid smile on your face." Kei shot back, bumping him lightly as they walked. Tobio bumped Kei back with a laugh. 

"Do you think that Hinata and Kenma will be just as obnoxious with our next match against Nekoma? I know that he and Kuroo promised to come by. You will probably be off flirting with Kuroo so you will see it." Tobio teased him lightly. Kei shot Tobio a glare. The entire team had thought that Kuroo and Kei were together for a while. Kageyama had ignored it knowing it wasn't true and Kuroo still teased Kei about it constantly. 

"I still can't believe they asked if I was with Kuroo while I was sitting next to you. It's almost like they don't know we're together sometimes." Kei muttered. Tobio shot Kei a look.

"I don't think even Hinata could have missed it. They aren't that blind." Kei added at Tobio's look. He didn't feel like he had to announce their relationship when it started. He figured if they didn't ask then they could just assume for themselves. It wasn't like they hid it. 

"I will never let you live it down if Hinata doesn't know. He is the one who always points out when we go home together." Tobio shot back moving his hand closer to interlock their pinky fingers. 

"Have some faith in our ace," Kei said but the distasteful look on his face as he said it made Tobio burst out laughing. Kei still rarely gave out compliments. He picked on Hinata and Tobio constantly. It was rare for him to say anything nice about them unless it was just the two talking like this. They may enjoy needling each other, but they fell in love over deep talks of life and dreams. They fit together even if it didn't look like it. 

"I am just glad that I don't have to compete for your attention with my brother of all people." Kei teased Tobio suddenly after a comfortable silence. Tobio laughed. Akiteru had taken an instant liking to Tobio when Kei had introduced them. It started small with Akiteru getting Kei to play volleyball with him and Tobio pouting if Kei said no. It grew from there and now he was used to Akiteru texting Kageyama to check on Kei. Now it was a steady stream of gentle teasing from both of them. 

"You are just mad because he actually plays volleyball with me." Tobio shot back to which Kei rolled his eyes. 

"The shrimp can spike for you. Or Akiteru. I will save it for practice." Kei said with a playful glare. "Unless I am bribed." He finished. Tobio laughed and then they were at Tobio's door.

"What does the king owe his subjects?" Tobio said softly and Kei flushed.

"You're awful and I want you naked," Kei said with a glare. Tobio chuckled. "Then go upstairs." He said and they both ended up racing to the bedroom. Tobio's parents were away on a business trip and his sister never came by on Wednesdays so they knew they were alone. Later that night Tobio rested his head on Kei's chest. 

"We graduate soon. Soon I will have to be at practice and you at classes." Tobio whispered, tracing his fingers along Kei's chest. 

"We'll make time. You know that I understand how much volleyball means to you. I'm not about to get upset because it pulls you away sometimes. I will have classes and homework and my job in the museum. I have things to fill my time until you get back." Kei whispered softly, his fingers gently running through Tobio's hair.

"I am more worried about Kuroo coming to steal you away." He teased lightly to try and bring back the soft lull of happiness. He hated how graduating felt like the end. He knew it wouldn't be. Kei and he talked extensively about how they wanted to make things work even after high school. 

“I might let him.” Kei teased back. They both knew that wouldn’t happen. For as emotionally distant they were on the outside, they really learned to communicate with each other in the time that they had been dating. Tobio tilted his head up to kiss Kei’s jaw. 

“I think that Bokuto is reason enough for him not to steal you away, now if Bokuto starts becoming interested then I have a problem.” Tobio teased more even as a smile broke out on Kei’s face. 

“You're insufferable, my king, go to sleep.” he whispered and Tobio rolled his eyes at the dismissal. 

“For someone who keeps calling me king you sure do boss me around a lot.” Tobio needled gently as he started to doze off in Kei’s arms. 


	3. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pending graduation feels like a weight on all of their chests. With the fear of the distance between them, Kuroo finally tells the happy couple about the other third-year's plans to get them together.

Things weren't always perfect for them. They sometimes spent the time at one of their houses yelling at each other over something stupid that they both knew wouldn't matter to them. They pushed each other past their last nerve and attempted to push the other away when things felt overwhelming. Things weren't always perfect, but sometimes they were as close as you could get. Sometimes they are splayed out on Hinata's floor where they had all come over to study but had ended up laughing and joking more than anything. The air felt tense. None of them knew when they would see all of the others after they graduated. Hinata had decided to leave the country. Yamaguchi and Yachi were also going to different universities from even each other. Kageyama was going pro and Tsukkishima was going to Tokyo to study. The air was heavy with silent 'I'll miss you's in the air. 

Kei was looking at Tobio where he laid his head on Yachi's lap while she laid against Yamaguchi. Hinata was splayed over him and Kei was laying with his head on Tobio's chest. He had to admit it was different since usually, Tobio preferred to lay on his chest. 

"You need to remember to keep in touch, Shoyo. You will be halfway across the world from us. The time will be different, but you still have to call us or we can video chat." Yachi said softly. They were all slightly mourning the loss of this. They were all close friends now. It was no longer just a team. It was no longer just the people he had to get along with. These were his friends who had shared three years supporting him on the court pushing him to be the best he could be. It was no longer just him and Yamaguchi. It was the five of them. 

"I will. We need to find time for all of us to video chat. Even you, Saltasaurus." Hinata said smiling up at Kei. Kei rolled his eyes. 

"I told you to stop calling me that. The second-years already got nervous that I even knew it at all." Kei shot back to Hinata as he breathed in the moment. 

"You're the cool upperclassmen. Of course, they are nervous. Kageyama is the one they go to for help. Yachi is the one they are all scared of, and Hinata and I are the strict ones." Yamaguchi said easily. Hinata and Kageyama laughed. Yamaguchi was still sweet and happy, but he was no less strict than Daichi. Kei often complained that he was worse, but only teasingly. Yachi flushed. 

"Why would they be scared of me?" She demanded while Kei glanced over at Kageyama and they both laughed at the question. Yachi wasn't as intimidated as she was in her first year. She was an amazing manager, but she tended to be a little intense when she was trying to raise morale. 

"Do you not remember that you made us take like 100 pictures trying to get the right shot for our posters right? You made us train harder than even Yamaguchi and we all let you. You are the scary one." Hinata said pointedly. He enjoyed jump after jump, but he knew that not everyone had his stamina. Yachi flushed at his words.

"It was a really good poster though," Yamaguchi said with a smile. The poster had been of them all jumping as high as they could with a backlight so that people could only see their outline and then she had edited their numbers on their backs. 

"That it was," Tobio said with a grin. They had been an unexpected friendship. Hinata and Yachi hung out alone a lot, but everyone had expected their personalities to fit together. Yachi and Tobio had come as a surprise. They often hung out together where they would go plant shopping or to the park where Yachi would help him study. Kei remembered how much both him and Yamaguchi were mildly jealous that they would sometimes go on and on about something. Yamaguchi would often send a soft smile to Kei before they both rolled their eyes at the both of them. All of them just fit. 

"I am going to miss pretending I don't know what a dinosaur is to annoy Tsuki during lunch." Hinata suddenly complained.

"I told you he was doing it to piss me off, Tobio." Kei shot out where Tobio smirked. 

"Of course he was. I helped him do it." Tobio shot back with a smile. 

"You just called him by his first name," Yamaguchi said with a curious head tilt. Kei glanced over at him.

"Why are you so hung up on it?" Kei asked, confused. He didn't understand why they always had to point it out when they did normal things. He didn't often call Tobio his name. He called him King more than anything, just like Tobio only called him Kei every so often. 

"Never mind, sorry, Tsukki," Yamaguchi said, shaking his head. Kei shot another confused look to Tobio who shrugged. They all ended up taking a nap right there on Hinata's bedroom floor. 

When Kei was walking home he got a text from Kuroo.

'Did you know that the other first years are trying to set you and Kageyama up? I just got told by Kenma that apparently Hinata told him about it. Kenma wanted to know if they weren't supposed to know about your relationship.'

Kei stopped walking. He immediately sent the message to Tobio and then called him. Tobio was laughing into the phone when he picked up. "There's no way! How could they be blind enough not to see that we were together? We basically told them with all of the dates." Kei said not believing that his best friend was in on this. Tobio was still laughing hard on the other side of the phone.

"I told you! You said that they knew, but I told you that they wouldn't notice if we didn't announce it." Tobio teased. Kei rubbed his forehead in annoyance. He didn't know why he loved this man. He was an idiot. Tobio continued when he finished laughing. "Well how do we tell them that they have been scheming for nothing? I wonder how long they have been trying." 

"I almost don't want to tell them now. I am disappointed in Yamaguchi. He didn’t even notice.” Kei pouted. Tobio smiled on the other side of the phone. 

“You are just uncomfortable that we now have to announce it." Tobio teased lightly. Kei rolled his eyes. 

"You think you would be able to announce it to them? They are all going to tease us about it for weeks." Kei complained, waving at Akiteru as he walked upstairs to his bedroom to keep talking to Tobio.

"I will if you won't," Tobio said softly. Kei laid down on his bed rubbing his face.

"What if we don't?" Kei asked quietly. "That way we won't have to deal with what happened to Oikawa and Iwazumi if we break up down the road." His voice sounded distant and Tobio froze where he was laying on the bed setting his ball. 

"Kei, I know that them breaking up hit us all hard, but we need to talk about this." He said softly. Kei felt a knot in his throat at the thought of their relationship falling apart the way that Iwaizumi and Oikawa had. 

"They were just like us. They were closer. Everyone saw them getting married one day, but all it took was a year away and it just crumbled. Do you remember how shattered Oikawa sounded when Hinata called him? Fuck, do you remember how he sounded when you called him? And he was the one who ended it." Kei ranted trying to ignore the burning heat behind his eyes as tears threatened to fall.

"I know… I know… but that doesn't mean that we are going to fall apart. I won't be away year-round. I will only be away for games. Also, you aren't nearly as mean to me as Iwazumi was to Oikawa. He got tired of it. We've talked about this and I know you love me. We know our boundaries. We know each other well enough to lay off on a difficult day." Tobio said and Kei had to admit that the setter made him soft. 

"I love you," Kei whispered softly wishing he could just end the call and not have to deal with the tangled knot of feelings inside him, but he knew better. They had dealt with both of them hiding from their feelings when they first got together. They had grown past this. He knew better than to run from Tobio.

"I love you, too, Kei. Don't give up on us." Tobio whispered and Kei smiled to himself.

"I won't, but now we have to plan how we are going to tell the team," Kei said trying to change the subject from how heavy it had gotten. The closer to graduation they got the more often they had these moments of fear. "Why don't we invite them over and tell them? Ease them into it by seeing Akiteru and mom fawn over you like normal." Tobio rolled his eyes even if Kei couldn't see it. 

"They do not fawn over me, and you just want to confuse them." Tobio accused him lightly. Kei smiled.

"Of course I do. I want to see their reaction when they find out they have been trying to get us to date for two years while we have been dating longer." Kei said easily. Tobio sighed into the phone.

"Your wish is my command," Tobio said playfully. Kei laughed. For as much as he still called Tobio king, Tobio had taken to joking that he was more tyrannical than him. 

"Good night, Kei." Tobio finally whispered out. Kei felt his stomach flutter. He always loved how Tobio sounded when he said his name. 

"Good night, Tobio," Kei whispered back, ending the call and hiding his face in his pillow. He didn't understand how Tobio got him like this. It was so out of character for him.


	4. Rough Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei recalls how he and Tobio had actually gotten together.

Kei had to admit that he was going crazy now that he knew that the team didn’t know about his and Tobio’s relationship. He was so close to each of them that he felt like he was lying to them by not immediately clearing it up, but he also didn’t know how to say it. It felt so small and insignificant to just say that they were dating. They had been together for two years now. They had gotten together after their match against Shiratorizawa. 

That win had been exhilarating and Kei was helpless to the feelings that had been growing between him and Tobio. They had both been strung out from the high of the win and tensions had only gotten higher when they were left alone in the gym while the others wandered off to their homes. 

He didn’t even remember how it started. He knew that Tobio had made some offhand comment about how fired up he had gotten and Kei had lashed out in embarrassment. They had been getting closer before that between study sessions and practice. They had been adjusting to each other’s personalities, but Kei still lashed out when Tobio pried too far into Kei’s feelings.

Kei remembered when it had all changed. They were both in each other’s faces yelling terrible things to each other. Kei yelled that Tobio was a selfish king that didn’t know how to act like a human. Tobio yelled that Kei didn’t know how to let people in or healthily deal with his emotions. It all changed when Kei’s eyes darted down to Tobio’s lips as he licked them. The tension between them had suddenly turned into arousal and Tobio’s next words were breathless.

“You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen.” Tobio breathed out in the space between them. Kei had never been called beautiful before and a flush had crept up his cheeks. He was used to never showing emotion in fear of someone getting too close. He didn’t know how to reach out to Tobio and show him that he wanted this. Tobio suddenly took a slow step forward, his hand moving to Kei’s cheek and Kei could feel his heart hammering in his chest. 

“Can I kiss you?” Tobio whispered out softly and Kei let out a relieved breath that he didn’t have to ask. He nodded slowly. 

“Please.” He whispered and before he knew it Tobio’s lips were on his and his brain was turning to mush on how good it felt to share this soft chaste kiss with Tobio. Kei had been lost the second their lips touched. Tobio didn’t kiss as he had expected. He never would admit it, but he had imagined it before this. He had expected the setter to kiss rough and demandingly, but Kei had instead felt the gentlest caress of Tobio’s fingers gently running through his hair as he coaxed Kei into the position he wanted. Kei felt cherished when Tobio kissed him. That wasn’t to say his kisses stayed soft and gentle. Sometimes they kissed like it was a fight for control, but Tobio always kept that look in his eyes that he had when they finally pulled away. Tobio looked at him like he was something to be taken care of and cherished and Kei found himself loving it.

“I’m sorry. I never should have said those things to you.” Tobio whispered out when they parted and Kei felt butterflies in his stomach. 

“I’m sorry, too. I know you’re not selfish. You care about this team and you have been an amazing setter.” Kei whispered out unable to hide behind his sharp words when Tobio was caressing his jaw so lightly like he was something precious. 

“I care about you more than just a teammate,” Tobio whispered out. Kei let out a soft laugh, his head tilting away to hide the smile tugging at his lips.

“Well, I would hope so after that kiss.” Kei teased easily, his eyes finally darting back over to Tobio’s intense blue ones. Tobio had smiled at him and they ended up walking together until they absolutely had to split ways in order to go to their homes. 


	5. Worth it All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio knows exactly when he fell for Kei

Tobio can pinpoint the second he realized he was in love with Kei. They had been dating for a few months having spent much of their summer practicing to stay in shape and just enjoying their new relationship. Tobio realized he loved Kei in the middle of their first-ever fight. Tobio noticed that Kei got meaner when he had something on his mind and had pointed it out only for Kei to completely lose it. Kei had yelled at Tobio to stay out of his business and that had started a fight that had lasted a full hour filled with them both tearing each other apart with their words. Tobio realized he loved Kei just as Kei said he wished that everyone would just leave him alone and that he was better off alone. Tobio couldn’t keep the fight going anymore. He had moved to Kei caressing his cheek softly and watched as the fight just melted from his frame. 

“I’m not going to leave you alone. I am going to stay right here until you are ready to talk about it, but I am not leaving.” Tobio had whispered and Kei had crumbled. Tobio never saw himself ever getting to that point. He never imagined he would see Kei break down in front of him, but he held him close and gently whispered soothing words into his skin. 

“How do you put up with me? Why? I am so. Cold.” Kei had finally whispered to Tobio after he finished crying. They had finally gotten to the root of the problem. 

“I don’t just put up with you. That’s my secret. I enjoy spending time with you. I like your humor even if it comes off as cold to everyone else. I don’t like to hold hands either. I don’t like to flaunt our relationship any more than you do. I enjoy spending time with you because we fit together.” Tobio assured him softly. Tobio couldn’t bring himself to tell Kei that he had realized he loved him that night. The first time the words had left his lips had been weeks later when they were balancing things on Hinata as he slept. It had been so casual. The ‘I love you’ had flowed out so easily that Tobio had felt like it was just right. 

“You tell me this while I am beating you? I am not going easy on you just because I love you.” Kei had shot back easily and Tobio had just laughed softly.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, shittyshima.” Tobio had shot back and ended up losing when Hinata had woken up with a stack of random things balancing on his head. Their relationship came surprisingly easily after that first fight. It wasn’t to say they never fought, but their fights never really meant much. Often they were fighting just for the hell of it. Kei knew when Tobio needed to fight with him when he started taking his gentle ribbing a little too personally. At the end of every fight, Tobio would pull Kei into his arms and whisper everything he loved about Kei into his skin, and that suited Kei just fine. 


	6. Last Hurrah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally finds out, but apparently they are the last to know.

Kei and Tobio never got around to properly telling the team about them as they had meant to. They had talked about how to tell them several times, but something always came up. Now they were standing on the court after their last ever match and Kei felt like he was drowning. This was it. This was finally the end of their time on the court together. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Suddenly Tobio’s hands were on his cheeks and he was lost in those intense blue eyes. Everything zeroed in on Tobio. No one else mattered. Tobio pulled him towards the changing rooms and as soon as the general public was safely out of sight he pulled Kei into a deep kiss. Kei distantly heard a squawk from Hinata and surprised gasps from the rest of the team, but Kei just smiled into the kiss and pulled back. 

“We were going to tell them properly, king,” Kei whispered out, caressing Tobio’s hand which was still pressed against Kei’s cheek.

“You kept chickening out.” Tobio teased back and suddenly they were both laughing holding each other close as the end of their high school volleyball career finally dawned on them. They finally turned to Hinata and Yamaguchi who were staring openly at them.

“We’ve been dating since first year. We just thought you knew up until Hinata told Kenma about your plan to get us together. Kenma knew about us from Kuroo and Kuroo told me..” Kei cleared up easily, his voice calm despite his cheeks still being pink from the entire team seeing the kiss he had just shared with Tobio.

“First Year! No! That’s not allowed! I am your best friend! You are not allowed to date someone for two whole years and not tell me!” Yamaguchi suddenly yelled at Kei who just laughed. 

“I literally told people I was in a relationship in front of you,” Kei said pointedly as they all started to change out of their uniforms. 

“I thought you kept saying it to keep the girls away!” Yamaguchi whined. Hinata was still staring at them like they had grown another head. 

“Bwah!” Hinata finally cried out and a few of the second years chuckled at their upperclassmen’s antics. 

“They have been acting like a couple since we first met them. Kageyama leaves little origami dinosaurs in Tsukishima’s locker before every game.” One of the more confident first years piped up. It seemed to finally sink in.

“Those were from Kageyama!?” Yamaguchi said in surprise. “I should have known! You said a dumbass gave them to you, but I thought it was just because it was a secret admirer!” He whined rubbing his face trying to reconcile the fact that his best friend had been in a relationship for two years and he hadn’t noticed. 

“Kenma has been trying to hint at it! After I told him about our plan to get you two together he kept telling me to leave it alone!” Hinata whined realizing they had all been so blind not to notice. Kei chuckled and ruffled his hair playfully.

“Don’t hurt yourself, shrimpy,” Kei said fondly as they all walked back up seeing their own upperclassmen standing there a week earlier than they were supposed to get back. Hinata and Noya immediately ran into each other's arms. They always kept in touch. He vaguely remembered that Tanaka was in a group chat with the pair meaning that he had also kept in contact with him. Suga was holding Daichi’s hand, smiling fondly at them. Asahi was fondly watching Noya babble on to Hinata about the match. Yachi finally pushed through the crowd and flung herself into Yamaguchi’s arms. Ennoshita was rolling his eyes as Tanaka talked loudly about how he had taught his underclassmen so well. 

“Did you guys know? That Tsukki and Kageyama have been together since first year?” Hinata suddenly asked their upperclassmen. Suga laughed and Kei’s eyes widened knowing exactly what was coming.

“Oh for sure! We caught the marks that Kageyama left on Tsukishima during nationals. Daichi had to give them both a lecture on focusing on the game and not straining themselves.” he said with a devious smile. Tobio immediately hid his face in his hands. Akiteru who Kei had not noticed laughed and Kei flushed brighter. 

“I walked in on them making out in the club room at least once a month,” Noya said loudly and Kei wished that the ground would swallow him up. Hinata, Yachi, and Yamaguchi were looking at the upperclassmen like they couldn’t believe their words. 

“Yamayama! What have you been doing to my sweet little brother? I thought we were bros and you have been corrupting my brother. That is so against the bro code!” Akiteru teased and Tobio looked just as pained as Kei felt. 

“Wait! Does literally everyone except for your best friends know?” Yamaguchi asked.

“I still don’t know how you didn’t know. I defended you saying that there was no way that you guys didn’t know, but you failed me.” Kei said cooly making Yamaguchi shake his head. 

“We are going to talk about this later,” Yamaguchi said sternly and Akiteru slung an arm over his shoulder.

“If you had just asked me, Tadashi, this wouldn’t have happened, but noooo you abandoned me for Yachi.” Akiteru teased Yamaguchi, making him flush with a light laugh. Yachi who was now talking easily with Kiyoko smiled at Yamaguchi and Kei once again felt glad that his best friend had Yachi in his life. He was glad that all of them were in his life. He watched as they all walked out to have dinner together to celebrate their impending graduation. As they walked Tobio caught Kei’s pinky with his own and they walked together like that sharing soft looks between lulls in conversations. 


	7. End of an Era

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei reflects on how they have all changed.

Yachi, Yamaguchi, Tobio, and Hinata were extensions of himself at this point. They spent so much time together in and out of volleyball that they became accustomed to each other. It all really started when Kei started to make the effort to spend more time with the team since he knew how much it meant Tobio that they were friends as well as a team. He already did nearly everything with Yamaguchi, and when he got with Yachi it extended to her as well. 

Hinata was a little harder to work into Kei's close circle, but he fit in nonetheless. He was someone who Kei usually wouldn't hang around with. He was loud and passionate and brighter than the sun. It exhausted Kei's social batteries almost on impact. When Hinata realized how drained Kei was getting he knew when to tone it down. Despite their earlier rivalry Hinata settled in as a close friend almost as seamlessly as Yachi. Hinata was Tobio's best friend, but he became Kei's friend along the way. 

When the other people in their group were busy they even hung out together alone. That was something that Yamaguchi and Kageyama had worried about for months when it first started happening. Tanaka and Noya had teased them mercilessly that they were going to kill each other if left alone together, but it didn't happen. Hinata seemed to learn to match Kei's energy when they were alone meaning that Kei got less drained. Kei honestly preferred hanging out with Hinata when Tobio wasn't around because the two still bickered and fought all the time, but when it was Kei and Hinata they could have talks about movies and music. They bonded over music and movies. Hinata surprisingly loved history documentaries the same way that Kei did even if Tobio looked bored to tears every time they tried to watch them together. Tobio enjoyed nature documentaries and true-crime where they would often bicker about theories. As much as Hinata seemed to not love anything but volleyball at first, Kei learned to find things that they both liked. 

Yamaguchi and Kei still hung out all the time enjoying each other's company just as they had done when it was just them two against the world. Kei didn't know what he would do without his best friend at his side all the time. Yamaguchi was going to University just like him, but he was going his own way all the same. Kei found himself listening a bit closer when he talked trying to memorize the way he rambled as if this was the last moments he had with him. He knew it wasn't true, but it felt like it. After spending so much time together it felt like losing a limb to know they wouldn't see each other every day as they walked to and from school. He would miss them spending lunch together where Yamaguchi would end up stealing bits of Kei's food since he knew Kei wouldn't eat it. He would miss watching Yamaguchi brighten when Yachi was at his side babbling happily to both of them. 

He had expected to feel more left out when his best friend had gotten into a relationship, but he just found himself gaining an extra friend in Yachi. She was just as studious as him wanting to work in a design company after she went to University. Kei and she had bonded over tutoring the underclassmen and Yamaguchi. Yachi was easy to get along with and was a nice balance of passion and reserved. Kei found her calming despite her enthusiasm. Yamaguchi, Yachi, and Kei often ended up studying together while Tobio and Hinata practiced late. Sometimes he would catch a fond smile on Yamaguchi’s face when Yachi and Kei broke out into a discussion on something they were learning in class throwing theories at each other. Yachi wasn't as shy around them. She could debate with Kei without fear and Kei had to admit it just made him debate harder. Yamaguchi would often giggle and say that he had a type. Yachi always flushed brightly when he said that. Kei would always glance over to Tobio and Hinata and say he was attracted to idiots. If Tobio heard him and tossed him a painfully soft look then that was between them.

They weren't just a team. They were a family. Their upperclassmen often came by when they could, catching games every so often and lingering as long as they could to catch up. It was hard to see them leave, but Noya and Asahi rarely dipped back into the country as they traveled the world. Daichi and Suga didn't take time off work, often becoming just as reliable in their jobs as they were on the court. Daichi worked hard as a police officer. Suga mothered every one of his students in his elementary class. Kei thought that it was fitting. Tanaka and Kiyoko came by often enough, Kiyoko always gravitating towards Yachi and Tanaka always immediately jumping right into a conversation with Hinata. 

So much had changed, and yet so much hadn't. It was still the Karasuno team. They were still the team that grew from the concrete and flew higher than anyone thought possible, but now they also were regular people who had regular jobs that pulled them all in separate directions. They didn't live in each other's lives anymore even if sometimes they wished they could. 

He was scared that they would lose touch. He had to admit at least to himself that the thought of watching them fade from his life terrified him. He never wanted to care this much for anything, but this team had worked its way into his heart and he never wanted to let them go even if they annoyed the hell out of him. 

The last time they got together every year felt apocalyptic and yet they did it every year with smiles and food and jokes that had gotten old before they were even said. It was painful. It tore at all of them, but they wouldn't replace it for the world. Every laugh felt like the last hurrah before they went their separate ways, but it was just reason enough to chase the next laugh. They were a team on and off the court. 

But this was their last year. After this year Asahi, Daichi, and Suga would not have any underclassmen to come back for. Kei wondered if this was the end. Kei wondered if this was the year that parts of their team started to fade from their life. He wondered if this was the year when these reunion parties became short messages on holidays and cards on special occasions. 

He had never meant to care about the team, but now he loved them. He loved them all differently. They all showed their love differently, but it was no weaker from any of them. Even as they curled their partners closer as the night quieted down. Even as they made their place in the world following their dreams. Even as it got harder and harder to make time for these quiet moments. They still loved each other. They were a family. 

It was the end of an era. They were leaving behind underclassmen to fly on their own. They were leaving behind another Karasuno legacy just like their upperclassmen had left for them. Their underclassmen carried little bits of everything they had learned and pushed it even further. Kei knew he was leaving behind little bits of himself in his underclassmen. The block that he had practiced with them day after day until he knew that they could face down the strongest spikes. He saw bits of their team in the underclassmen they were leaving behind. He saw shadows of their team first year that are bittersweet memories of times when it wasn't hard to spend time with the upperclassmen. The tricks that were taught to them shine through in their underclassmen as they pass on the baton. 

"The end of an era." He felt the words more than he acknowledged saying them. He heard Hinata squawk at him bringing it up in the comfortable silence. He heard Suga laugh teasing him that he was acting like Asahi. He heard Yamaguchi calling him sappy. He heard the shadows of his first year surrounded by the same people as they climbed their way to nationals. He felt Tobio's hand slip into his. 

"The end of one chapter doesn't have to mean that the next chapter won't be full of the same people." He heard Asahi say lightly. Kei glanced up at him wondering if he had the same feeling of loss when they graduated. 

"What have they been teaching you on your trip?" Daichi suddenly teased and then the tension was gone. The team dissolved into laughter while they all raised their glasses to the graduating third years. 


End file.
